Designing for Wonder at Work

Purpose-driven organizations often have strong values, clear missions, and good intentions. What they struggle with is helping people actually feel those values in their everyday work.

In this session, branding strategist and creative leader T. Christian Helms explores wonder as a practical design principle for purpose-driven organizations. Not as something abstract or inspirational, but as a way to turn values into lived experiences through culture, products, and decisions.

Drawing from years of work helping organizations build brands and environments people care about, Christian will show how designing for curiosity, care, and meaning helps teams stay engaged, helps purpose show up in tangible ways, and helps organizations create work that people want to be part of.

This session is for leaders who want their purpose to move beyond words and into action.

Learning Objective

Participants will understand how designing for wonder helps translate purpose into meaningful experiences at work, and will leave with practical ways to apply this thinking to culture, collaboration, and the experiences they create for others.

ABOUT T. CHRISTIAN HELMS

Christian Helms is the Founder and Creative Director of Helms Workshop, an award-winning branding agency known for building brands that do not just communicate, they connect. For more than 15 years, Christian has partnered with founders and leadership teams to turn values into tangible experiences through strategy, storytelling, and design.

His work spans consumer brands, hospitality, and mission-led organizations, and his perspective is grounded in the belief that branding is not just a business discipline, but a way of shaping culture, behavior, and meaning. As a speaker, Christian brings clarity, curiosity, and a deeply human lens to conversations about creativity, purpose, and building work that matters.